Glen Carlou Grand Classique – A Bordeaux Style Blend From South Africa

A Bordeaux style blend from South Africa that gives a great excuse to eat a half dozen “bite-size” brownies.

SRP of $19.99 but available widely for around $16. Sample received courtesy of The Hess Collection for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Malbec 16%, Merlot 14%, Petit Verdot 13%, Cabernet Franc 5%.

This wine is a unique blend of classic red varietals. 18 months maturation in new and second-fill French oak barriques followed by minimal fining has produced a great wine with excellent potential for maturation. 14% alcohol”

As I mentioned above, this wine pairs well with those bite size chocolate brownies you can get at Costco or Target…you know the ones that make you think you can eat 2, 3, or 8 or so because after-all they are bite size, right? Even though you conveniently overlook the fact that it actually takes 2 or 3 bites to eat them — brilliant marketing, really. (As you can tell we like to pair our wine with chocolate.)

The 2008 Glen Carlou Grand Classique exhibits pleasing aromas of strawberry, vanilla and even a little caramel plus some earthy tones. The wine tastes of blackberry plus a little tart cherry and has smooth tannins. This one has a dry, medium long finish with a nice little bit of pepper and coffee to close it out. Overall, a blend that impressed me — these varietals play quite nicely with each other and produce a very pleasing, flavorful wine. Give it a try!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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